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Police briefs 11/9/17

Justin Lockhart

Jacquez Pough

Jeff Jean-Baptiste

Posted
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 12:00 pm

Clay County Sheriff's Office

20-year-old killed in Clay Hill crashCLAY HILL – The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a 20-year-old Orange Park man was killed in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday in Clay Hill.Police said Dyllon D. Smith was driving a 2005 Hyundai Sonata heading southbound on U.S. Highway 301 when he came upon a semi-tractor trailer that had stopped in the left turn lane. FHP said the driver of the semi – Ariel Bermudez, 33, of Orlando – failed to yield to oncoming traffic as he traveled out of the left turn lane in front of the Sonata. The front of the Sonata collided with the rear of the semi.Both vehicles came to rest in the center median, according to the FHP press release.FHP said charges are pending.

Man charged with striking mother-to-beORANGE PARK – An Orange Park-area man faces two counts of aggravated battery on a pregnant female after police responded to a disturbance on Monday.The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Justin David Lockhart, 35, on Nov. 6 at 12:24 a.m. in the 2000 block of Sunrise Village Drive.According to the police report, when officers arrived they could hear Lockhart “yelling angrily” and “a female screaming loudly.”The victim told police that the fight erupted when she walked from a bedroom to the living room and asked Lockhart to be quiet, so she could sleep.According to the report, he then poked her in the left eye, then pushed her onto the couch and began “poking her in the face repeatedly,” states the report.After Lockhart allegedly slapped the victim – who is eight months pregnant with his child – she gathered her belongings into a backpack intending to leave the home.Police said Lockhart slurred his speech when he spoke and had trouble standing.He was booked into the Clay County Jail where, at press time, he remained with bond set at $50,006.

Passenger killed in traffic crashORANGE PARK – The Orange Park Police Department continues to investigate the cause of a one-vehicle traffic crash that resulted in one fatality over the weekend.Police said Luther Hill Elliott IV, 40, of Orange Park, was pronounced deceased at the scene on Nov. 4 at 2:55 p.m. in the 2200 block of Doctors Lake Drive.When police arrived on the scene, they found a pickup truck crashed off the east side of the road. One occupant of the vehicle was transported to the Orange Park Medical Center and treated for injuries and is expected to recover.However, Elliott was pronounced dead at the scene by Orange Park Fire Rescue Personnel. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation. Doctors Lake Drive was shut down in both directions from the intersection of Oak Court to the intersection of Birdwood Drive for several hours while the investigation continued. Drivers were forced to use alternate routes of travel while police and rescue were on the scene.

Mall fight ends in felony chargeORANGE PARK – An 18-year-old Jacksonville boy faces a felony charge of child abuse after a mishap at the Orange Park Mall last weekend.The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jacquez Malik Pough on Nov. 4 at 9:15 p.m. after witnesses told police that he placed a 13-year-old boy in a head lock and dragged him out of the Chick-fil-A into the mall common area.“The victim was able to escape from the headlock, at which time the defendant pushed the victim into the Auntie Annie’s sign,” states the CCSO report.Police said the 13-year-old sustained a bump on the head in the fracas, but did not require medical attention.At press time, Pough remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $2,503.

Miami man extradited here on theft chargesGREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office extradited a Miami man and booked him into the Clay County Jail on six charges of firearm theft, one count of armed burglary and one count of grand theft.On Nov. 1, police brought Jeff Stallon Jean-Baptiste, 27, to Green Cove Springs where his bond is set at $120,024.According to the arrest warrant, the investigation began on May 16, 2014 when Jean-Baptiste and another man broke into a home in the 4000 block of Hanging Moss Drive in the Argyle community of Clay County. Police did not get to interview Jean-Baptiste until October 2014 when he was identified by his driver’s license photo.Police said Jean-Baptiste and his accomplice stole $5,710 worth of guns and jewelry from the home.At press time, Jean-Baptiste remained in jail where his next court date is scheduled for Nov. 29.

Fleming Island man pleads to running Georgia pill millBRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Florida Times-Union reports that a Fleming Island businessman pled guilty Oct. 30 in U.S. District Court to a conspiracy charge involving the operation of a pain clinic in Camden County, Georgia.David Joseph Muyres, 55, admitted he and others prescribed pain killers and other drugs for “no legitimate medical purpose” from October 9, 2014 through June 13 this year at a clinic in St. Marys, Ga.Court documents state Muyres and his associates conspired to launder the cash proceeds of the business to disguise the nature of their illegal operation called Coastline Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Gerald Hughes told the court that Muyres ran a cash-only business and gave the appearance of legitimacy by requiring would-be pill buyers to have an MRI and fill out medical questionnaires.Muyres and his co-conspirators hired a physician who doled out prescriptions for oxycodone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone and alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug.“Most if not all the patients received the same medication” and the sole practice was in prescribing pain medicine,” The Times-Union reported.Hughes said the regular fee was $330 but the clinic offered a discount rate of $200.Over time, Muyres deposited more than $1.2 million at Ameris Bank, proceeds from the pain clinic. Since his arrest, federal authorities have seized some of the pill mill proceeds, including $17,572 from Muyres’ home in the 2400 block of Stockton Drive on Fleming Island.Muyres has also consented to forfeit a number of gold and platinum bars and some cash that the feds seized from a Wells Fargo bank safe deposit box.The maximum sentence Muyres could receive is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of probation.Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Knoche told the judge the government would agree to a lesser sentence in exchange for Muyres’ guilty plea and his full cooperation in the investigation.The court allowed Muyres to remain free on a $50,000 bond, but limited his travel within the Southern District of Georgia and the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida.The next phase of the investigation is Muyres’ sentencing hearing.

Sheriff needs help identifying suspectORANGE PARK – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of stealing items from an Orange Park-area Walmart store.Police said the man pictured here went in to the Walmart at 899 Blanding Blvd. and stole a number of items, left the store and did not pay. He is believed to have left the store in a late model four-door Ford or Mercury sedan similar to a Crown Victoria.CCSO asks anyone who knows the man to contact the agency at (904) 264-6512 concerning case number 2017021899.